"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious." - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, 1972

Saturday, June 24, 2017

NOT GOOD, RYAN. NOT GOOD.

Nowhere in Father MacRae's post did he suggest that all accusers are lying. He said that efforts must be made to distinguish the real from the fraudulent when large amounts of money change hands. Who could disagree with this? Those who do simply raise a cloud of suspicion above their own points of view. As for MacRae himself, this has been written about extensively. The Wall Street Journal thoroughly investigated claims against him and declared them to be fraudulent. I have research this case extensively, so before another stone is cast, you might consider some of my results documented and itemized here: http://araminthethicket.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-father-gordon-j-macrae-story.html

Dear Ryan,

My first post on this nowhere says that MacRae says all the accusers are lying. My post pointed out MacRae's lack of facts about our situation in Guam because he idolizes a blog run by a pseudonym, and idolizes it because it referenced himself:

• Diana deserves to have her voice heard and shared. Ironically, one of her most-cited sources has been the writings at These Stone Walls, and especially two that she posted on May 4, 2017, under the titles, “The Injustice Against Father Gordon MacRae,” and “Civil Liberties of the Priests.” When these were printed and sent to me, I was so very proud to see comments posted on them by some of the readers of These Stone Walls.

And what makes you think we are not making efforts to distinguish the real from the fraudulent? We, the same people who worked to pass the law to force the local church leadership to take responsibility, are the same people working to keep those cases from going to court, and to go through an alternate process (called Hope and Healing) which will independently review each case. (Hope and Healing would have never been possible had there first not been the threat of civil litigation.)

And as far as MacRae himself goes, I know nothing about his case which is why I didn't address it. However, his uninformed attack on us does NOT help him. So speaking of casting stones, let's look at the STONES MacRae has cast at us (his words in bold):

STONE 1. On the Island of Guam, Is the Eighth Commandment Discarded?

The very title of his post suggests that we are breaking this commandment.

STONE 2. ...on the Island of Guam a new Catholic Inquisition makes its debut.

MacRae passes judgement on our efforts, accusing us of a new Inquisition. Wow.

STONE 3. Following a trend of reactionary legislative controversies across the United States in the wake of Catholic scandal during the last two decades, the legislature and governor of Guam last year passed and signed into law “Public Law 33-187.”

No, we were not following any trend. In fact, we were trying to buck the trend. Initially we opposed institutional liability. (But then you wouldn't know that, would you.) However, the church leadership at the time publicly mocked our demands to address the allegations, so the only thing left us was to force it to do so by amending the original bill to include institutional liability. So sad. The leadership only had to say "let's talk" and there never would have been Public Law 33-187. Instead, they said "shut up or we'll sue you."

STONE 4. Like the bishops of virtually every American Catholic diocese where such an unjust law was considered, the Guam version was opposed by the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam. It was opposed because it also opens a window to fraud.

MacRae gets his facts from a pure joke of a blog. The legislation was NOT opposed by the archdiocese. The committee report proves that. Why? Because the church leadership had such a low view of us "people in the streets," they believed our efforts would come to nothing. The legislation was only opposed at the 11th hour with an attempt to demand a veto. As for opening a window to fraud, everything is a window to fraud.

STONE 5. I described how some states were duped by nefarious agendas into considering “window legislation” similar to what has been passed in Guam.

So our efforts to force the church leadership to take responsibility is part of a "nefarious agenda." LOL. No. Our efforts were aimed at stopping decades of abuse. And when our first attempts were met with threats of lawsuits from Archbishop Apuron (I personally was threatened), and public mockery by the Apostolic Administrator, we defaulted to the only thing left us: the civil system.

STONE 6. There is layer upon layer in the Catholic scandal as it emerges anew in Guam, and the various layers appear to be a blueprint drafted from what has happened across America. First, there is the layer of the cold hard fact that a guarantee of a financial windfall is the end result of virtually every claim.

This where MacRae completely condemns himself. There was "virtually" NO "guarantee of a financial windfall" when Apuron's accusers first came forward. There was NO bill or even a thought of one. They only wanted to confront Apuron personally with what he did to them. However, after Apuron threatened to sue them (and me) then there was no choice but for them to resort to legal protection. The problem was that there was none. Apuron could sue them all he wanted and they had nothing to protect themselves. This is what forced the window legislation into being.

STONE 7. Before the law was passed in Guam, the Archbishop of Agana was himself accused of abuse dating back many years. Cardinal Raymond Burke was sent by the Vatican to investigate the case, but reportedly some of the accusers have declined to answer any questions while waiting for the Church’s ATM to open.

MacRae really screws himself here (which is what happens when your facts come from The Diana). As I stated in my original post about this, the victims' civil attorney was doing his job. Apuron's attorneys were going to be in the room with Burke and the civil attorney had no way of knowing that his clients' civil cases would not be compromised by what transpired behind closed canonical doors. He had a duty to protect his clients and he did. However, he did not stop them from going forward anyway, and they all did. The so-called "ATM" was already in place 5 months before. So they weren't "waiting" for anything.

STONE 8. One brave Catholic blogger in Guam has taken up the necessary discussion that the mainstream news media refuses to have. Armed with the journalistic skepticism that was once the hallmark of the American press, “Diana,” on her blog, the Neocatechumenal Way – An Insider’s View, has almost single-handedly brought sanity and truth to the moral panic as it now emerges anew in Guam.

This is really funny. Brave? Huh? What "brave" person hides like The Diana? Oh, MacRae gives us his own answer:

"I also noticed that most of the local comments were posted anonymously. The reason, I am told, is that the various agendas behind this story have as much to do with quarrels over property and finances than with child protection policies. Commenters fear public ridicule or retaliation for posting their opinions."

Since The Diana is also anonymous, apparently he/she/they has/have the same FEAR of "ridicule or retaliation." Sorry, Ryan, that's not "brave." That's cowardice. And this is where MacRae does himself a serious disservice. Has it occurred to you why I am not fearful to put my name to my opinions despite the fact that I was going up against the most powerful man on Guam and despite four years of ridicule and threats of retaliation? Do you think it might be because I have the TRUTH? Think about it, Ryan.

And then there's this:

STONE 9. As for Guam’s embrace of Public Law 33-187 and any potential for its role in violations of the Eighth Commandment: “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” (Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, 1742)

No, there IS a "crueler tyranny." The "crueler tyranny" is the use of the Church, the Bride of Christ, and the deep ingrained respect and awe we have for that Church, to be used by clerics as a means to the most horrid perversions, and then using that same Church and our awe for her to shut up damaged children for the rest of their lives.

That's a lot of stones Ryan. A lot of stones. And then we get you telling us not to throw them. LOL.

*****

Because there are evil men like Apuron, innocent (?) men like MacRae are made to suffer. I don't know that he's innocent. He may be. But he chose to throw stones based on the information he got from someone who doesn't even have a name. And YOU did the same.